TWO SPORTSMEN KILLED BY TIGERS 



A Havildar of the Bhil corps, who was with him at the 

 time, ran to his assistance at once, and, very pluckily 

 placing the muzzle of his carbine against the tiger's side, 



shot him dead, but H had been terribly mauled, his 



back and shoulder-blades being fearfully lacerated the 

 number of teeth and claw wounds amounting, I am told, 

 to no less than forty-two ! 



He was carried into camp, but died the next day. 

 Though suffering tortures from the pain in his wounds 

 he bore up wonderfully, conversing freely with the apothe- 

 cary who attended him, to whom he gave a full account of 

 the incident. 



I was in camp some sixty miles distant at the time, 

 and hearing of the occurrence from one of my troopers, 

 I rode over at once, but unfortunately arrived too late to 

 see him as he had already succumbed to his injuries, which, 

 as I have said, were terribly severe. 



This was his first tiger, and as he had been always very 

 keen, and, I thought, somewhat inclined to be impetuous, 

 I had only a short while before warned him to be careful, 

 especially in the matter of following up wounded tigers ; 

 but being young and inexperienced, he had probably failed 

 to realize the danger he was incurring. He was very popular 

 with all who knew him, and consequently greatly missed. 



But it is not always the inexperienced who fall victims 

 to a tiger's merciless attack, for under circumstances even 

 more tragic, was the death of another friend of mine, poor 



B of the Police, who was killed also by a tiger. He 



was by no means a novice in sport, for many a tiger and 

 panther had already fallen to his rifle. 



On the occasion under reference he had, it appears, 

 wounded an enormous tiger, and taking up his tracks, 

 was following them through high grass jungle when the 



beast suddenly charged him. Before B could put 



up his rifle the beast had seized him by the shoulder, and 

 knocking him down, attacked him savagely with his 

 teeth, driving his fangs deep into his body, and shaking 

 him as a dog might a rat. 



The extraordinary part of the story is that B 's 



servant, a Goanese, who, though excellent servants, are 

 not particularly courageous, seeing his master in the tiger's 



147 



